Here Are 30 Ways To Keep Safe When Traveling

I came across this blog post by Steve from Back-Packer.orgon his tips on staying safe while traveling. Although this post is almost two years old, it’s still quite relevant today.

[Excerpt]

Safety is a big topic when talking about traveling. I’d like to give you some practical advice with these tips and ways to stay safe while traveling which are applicable all over the world.

Before I start I’d like to point out that I wrote this article based on my experiences of traveling Europe, South America and northern Africa – on my travels I have been a victim of a violent robbery in Argentina, my credit card got copied and I talked a lot with other travelers who ran into similar situations.Generally there are no “good” or “bad” countries as crime happens all over the world – sometimes just a few simple tips can improve your safety and make your travel experience more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, you hear about all sorts of horror travel stories. Stories that are enough to rattle one’s nerves. But I absolutely agree with Steve – there are no “good” or “bad” countries because crime is everywhere.

Like my hometown of Sydney, for instance.

Back in 2001, I was on the train on my way home from work – It was 7:30pm on a Sunday. I was too busy chatting away on the phone that I hadn’t realised that the carriage I was had on became empty. I was by myself. All of a sudden, I had an off-duty train guard come up to tell me that she saw I was about to get clobbered on the head with a bottle, and get robbed (or God knows what else) by four men. Someone was watching out for me that night, and if it hadn’t been for that guard, who knows what could’ve happened.

Then there was that time in Peru when we nearly cancelled our overnight bus across the Andes from Lima to Arequipa. We had read about a horrific robbery and assault that happened on an overnight bus on the same route. Luckily, we zig-zagged across the Andes – several times in fact – unharmed.

You just never know. I try not to let such stories affect me but I don’t ignore them either. Rather, I use other people’s stories and experiences as a guide.